I'm confused with how to handle grading this one. Though Awe inspiring, pretty Grim at the same time! Katrina was labeled as a Class 5 Hurricane, right?

Katrina and the Waves ... I'm walking on sunshine

When watching the build up, with the storm still out in the gulf .. I remember seeing one guy walking nonchalantly back to his car with, maybe, a 24 pack of water bottles on his shoulder .. not a care in the world.

I often wonder what happened to that guy .. he was my only connection to the city, as I don't watch the news much anymore after breaking my 9/11 addiction

I've seen a couple documentaries about New Orleans being below the waterline and how their pumps work day and night to keep them dry .. and how they, supposedly, have planned every angle and contingency for this happening .. and then, they, and the US government proceeded to drop the ball and refuse to believe it was happening

The rich should have flown out, because they could afford to, and the poor be given the shelter the rich are now using

I know a woman from DeviantART who is going down there to help, she lives about a hundred miles north of me and is NO better off financially than I (read that: POOR)

Her Journal .. =a-neon-devil-breath

feel free to log an account so that you can comment and wish her well .. (just toggle the MONEY GRAB .. back to .. NO THANKS when you register .. .. ;o) ..

My sister lives in Florida just beyond the eastern fringe; she really missed a bullet and I thank God for that.

It's the eye of the Grim Reaper. Powerful image but under the clouds peoples lives are being distroyed. We musts all do our part to help those people in need. May God have mercy on them. Has anyone heard from Regmar?
Russ

Very humbling and frightening. Look at http://geology.com/new-orleans-satellite-images.shtml to see the devastation. It broke my heart.

Ugly thing.. I have a lot of family in Florida.. These scare me so much..

An awesome image! I'm recalling the day after this thing hit land and the newscasters were saying that the worst case scenario failed to materialize. Of course, within a day and the break of a key levee, the headlines told a very different tail. Thanks for sharing this view of the monster that changed the lives of thousands forever.
Wen

This is a great photo of mother nature at her worst/best. I have prayed day and night that these peoples lives would be not only spared, but that we would all find something positive and valuable out of all of this uncontrolable tragedy.

i have no words for this.. :(

Dj - a PROUD New Orleans area resident

look at the size of it! It was a class 4 when it hit land. Not a good thing to be under.

An awesome and sobering sight...how quickly nature can humble us..:Pat.

Thank you for the sobering beauty of this posting.

This is what pictures are all about. Before and After. Memories are kept alive with these! Thank you for the picture.

I can only humbly repeat what 'dusa1947' said : Thanks for the sobering beauty of this post.
Needless to say 10/10 in the booth.

Very Somber image. Makes you really go back.

Beautiful Picture. My family and I went through Katrina. It was bad. However, New Orleans was due for a good cleaning.

WOW, it's so all compelling. I dealt with many of the homeless and displaced families in the aftermath of this horrific storm. The people and their stories can humble you real quickly.
Great post, we should be reminded periodically just how vulnerable we are. Thank You.

Beautiful pic. I love storms. Katrina was certainly a pretty one.

Being from Louisiana (not currently living there) I know a lot about what really happened wrt Katrina. I know that the New Orleans mayor abandoned the city and left citizens on their own. I know that the Feds were at the La/Miss border for three days waiting to be invited in but the governor wouldn't let them in. And I know that of all the places in the US to have a disaster like this, New Orleans is the worst because its political environment and corrupt police force. The Lake Charles area did it right after Rita came. Both storms were similar in danger, yet LC didn't whine about not getting help, they picked themselves up by their bootstraps. I visited my mother in LC less than four months after Rita and while it was still very much reeling, the people were looking toward the future, not the past. No one whined about losing their house, they were working toward getting it back.

Keep up the great pics!

a nice shot! did you do it yourself?

It was a Cat.5 before landfall. At the time this picture was taken it was a strong Cat.3 or weak Cat.4 I believe. So calm watching from above but scary and confusing down on Earth. Nice picture of a record storm.

One of the worst disasters of our time. I still grieve for who and what was lost.

Although it is an impressive image, it is really nice.